The present invention relates to a novel and useful apparatus for transporting animal feed in an aqueous body.
The delivery of animal feed to wildlife requires the movement of animal feed along various distances from the source. With waterfowl, the delivery of feed has often entailed the use of watercraft or has required the animal feed to be manually delivered by a person. The latter requires a great deal of effort to carry and spread the animal feed at a selected area remote from storage buildings and other edifices.
In the past, many systems have been devised for distributing animal feed. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,140,943, 5,791,285, and 6,109,210 show fish feeding apparatuses in which a food holder is placed in a fish tank and water is caused to flow in order to carry the feed into the vicinity of the feeding fish.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,235,198, 4,967,697, and 5,143,020 show solid material dispensers which may be used to disperse fish feed or fertilizer in outdoor ponds. The devices include floating containers which are fixed to an area of the pond.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,632,284 and 5,975,021 describe seed dispensing devices that propel seed through an auger mechanism or a centrifugal propeller. The dispersed seed may be employed for farming purposes or to feed fish.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,372,252 describes a floating fish feeder in which a hopper is employed to hold feed. A pump combines the feed with water and sends the same through a conduit for use.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,741,163 shows a demand responsive fish feeder which utilizes a hopper that extends below a water line. Fish adjacent the lower portion of the hopper trigger the release of feed by the movement of a lever or a rod.
An apparatus to transport animal feed which is simple and includes adjustable mixing features would be a notable advance in the field of animal husbandry.